Is Made in France textile realistic?
As recently read in an article in Les Echos on 12/30/20 (link at the bottom of the page), it is often “a dream” of brand creators, and I am regularly contacted on this issue, particularly since the closure of the Made in France INOFAB-Raidlight workshop by Rossignol.
The demand for textile products made in France is clearly increasing by consumers, however the transition to the act of buying is not done simply with the argument “made in France”.
In my opinion, the first requirement to have in order to manufacture in France is to design its products specifically Made in France, with a concern for frugal manual operations, automation, standardization, tricks … even transform constraints (costs, qualifications) into advantages, by making the best use of the sources of product differentiation that this specific conception must generate. This source of differentiation may generate a differentiation in use and a higher selling price.
The second requirement is to agree to compare prices with equal quantities of production. Because very often we compare a Made in France price for small series, to an Asian price for large series. And then of course the additional cost is double, both by the labor cost, and the production efficiency on two different scales. Made in France often allows production in shorter series. This must be taken into account, valorized financially, and made into an economic advantage which will partially compensate for the additional cost.
Made in France will have a future if we can see it from an innovative and differentiating angle.
Link 1 : https://www-lesechos-fr.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.lesechos.fr/amp/1159456
